A Snapshot of Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice

Jack Schwimmer
AP-1
73315227
Word Count: 665

A Snapshot of Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice

The romantic comedic novel Pride and Prejudice has become a landmark piece of literature particularly for the inevitable yet beautiful love story between Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy that lies at the center of the novel, and for Jane Austen’s witty narrative teeming with irony and social commentary of 18th-century England. The dialogue between Elizabeth and Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, serves as a microcosm to the greater novel because it perfectly illustrates both literary triumphs that make Pride and Prejudice the timeless story that it is. The passage serves to reinforce the fact that Elizabeth truly does love Darcy, and through Austen’s clever prose, this fact is best reinforced through Elizabeth’s refusal to say she loves him. As her refusal further frustrates de Bourgh, it only further entertains the reader. It is also an ironic statement on the socioeconomic system of the time: Elizabeth is inarguably cleverer than Lady Catherine de Bourgh, even though de Bourgh is far wealthier and deemed more “ladylike.” Austen, through the fact that Darcy and Elizabeth refuse to listen to the actually inconsiderate and selfish Lady Catherine, shows again that Darcy and Elizabeth, unlike nearly almost all other characters in the book, can see beyond class stereotypes and preconceptions, and that this is why their love is so memorable and successful. Darcy refuses to heed his aunt’s instruction, refusing to marry her daughter for wealth, and instead marrying Elizabeth for true love.

With respect to the action of the novel, this scene simply reaffirms the resolution of the climax, and reassures the reader that the instability will become stable once again. Elizabeth, through her ambiguity in response towards Lady Catherine’s demanding questions, proves that she is committed to Darcy, and he to her. This is also the principal broader theme that Austen conveys throughout the novel and particularly in this passage: the inevitable love between the two protagonists. Though Lady Catherine may interpret it as non-committal when Elizabeth says, “I will say nothing of the kind,” the reader knows that the response should be interpreted as quite the opposite: a confirmation of her love for Darcy. So, this scene is a resolution of the action. Though it has the potential to create another conflict between Lady Catherine and Darcy, or Lady Catherine and Elizabeth, the fact is that the love that connects Darcy and Elizabeth is far too strong to be broken by any one person’s selfish desires. Indeed, this message, above any other, is what this scene most conveys: that Elizabeth and Darcy will get married and will remain in love—the ending that defines a true romantic novel.

All in all this passage can serve as an illustration of what it means for Pride and Prejudice to be called a comedic romantic novel. Elizabeth’s witty wordplay and sarcastic responses (most notably, “would my giving you the wished-for promise, make their marriage at all more probable?”) are characteristic of a comedy and also of her character and what causes Darcy to fall in love with her in the first place. He admires the fact that she refuses to conform to social expectations. The fact that Pride and Prejudice is a romance is cleverly illustrated by Elizabeth’s commitment to Darcy when talking to Lady Catherine. Though Lady Catherine is a peripheral character in Pride and Prejudice, her condescending, selfish demeanor towards Elizabeth are representative of the class to which she belongs and which Austen satirizes. Austen’s method of characterization shines through, as the individual characters and the classes of which they are members clearly manifest themselves through short, witty dialogue and brief, curt narration. The former dominates the latter, as is characteristic of Austen’s style throughout Pride and Prejudice. The characters’ points of view and personalities are revealed primarily through their dialogue with each other. Thus, the dialogue between Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Elizabeth Bennet near the end of the novel serves as a microcosm for the novel itself: a romantic comedic scene with the inevitable romance between Elizabeth and Darcy always at the forefront.